GHANA IS FINISHED – IF WE KEEP THINKING THE WAY WE DO!

This writer wept bitterly as he listened with disbelief yesterday, a replay of a recorded meeting between staff of Ghana Telecommunications Company (GT) and the company’s probable new owners Vodafone, on Joy FM. In fact, the effusions of the GT staff at the durbar were so chilling that one begins to wonder whether our forebears had any business struggling for independence at all.

First of all, this writer wishes to congratulate Joy FM on its show of class. While in pain and total shock, it was also refreshing to know that all media houses in our Motherland Ghana have not joined hands with out leaders to mortgage out nation on the platter of greed.

Just like every other Ghanaian, every GT staff has the right to express a view on the proposed sale, but they should be reminded that they are not more important than the over 22 million Ghanaians who are their employers. Why on earth should the staff be exhorting her colleagues that “as a result of the coming of our new owners, Vodafone, we need to change our attitude so as to turn around the fortunes of the company”?

The staff who spoke on behalf of her colleagues at the staff durbar also enjoined her colleagues to change from “their old ways”. The staff went on. “We learned a lot under the Malaysian managers. We also learned a lot under the Norwegians, so it’s time to put our hands on deck if we are to keep our jobs.”

Of course, everybody needs a business-oriented attitude to win in the fast growing telecoms world. But it is simply mind boggling to be pushing this colonial mindset, subservience and puppetry every time issues of nation building come up for discussion. From the effusions of the staff, it’s clear that the present crop of employees of the company do not deserve to keep their jobs. Their attitudes are backward and counterproductive. The lady spokesperson’s attitude also smacks of selfishness, greed and laziness. It can be summarised from the lady’s claims that, she and her colleagues have been sabotaging the fortunes of this strategic national asset over the years for their personal gain.

If you could not work under a Ghanaian management, what business do you have staying to work under “white leadership”? Little wonder the government has set aside US$40.0 million to pay them off as they are eventually ‘sacked’ by their new masters when the deal goes through. I am sure they are even oblivious of the fact that as soon as Vodafone takes over GT, many of them are going to be laid off and possibly replaced with other business-minded individuals.

This mentality of the GT staff is founded in the sickening misconception with which our compatriots have been fed over the years. That, contrary to claims by the people who shed their blood for our independence, that the Ghanaian is capable of managing her own affairs we are not capable of doing anything on our own, save the intervention of a benevolent light-skinned person. After all, that was the singsong of Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) member of parliament (MP) and a very bad loser at the December NPP primaries at the University of Ghana. Mr. Owusu-Agyemang engineered the giving away of Ghana Water Company to an Anglo-Dutch company, Aqua Vitens Rand, and the ‘improvement in water delivery in Ghana is there fore all to see today.’

This GT spokesperson extraordinaire also demonstrated through her betrayal of our capabilities that, there was no sense in Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s proclamation that “we prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquility.” The GT staffs prefer serving under imperialist management to serving under their own kindred. Were they not there when the Telenor managers who were only kicked out after agitations siphoned over US$6.0 million as benefits to Norway?

What the GT staff should be made aware of is that, if they are not competent enough to work with the telecoms giant, a phenomenon which they have demonstrated over the years, they should resign so that more competent, young and progressive Ghanaians would be employed to salvage the company. The kitchen cabinet management of GT must be removed. It looks as if competence has been sacrificed on the platter of self-indulgence and cronyism.

The same empty promises being given to GT staff were heard before. During the sale of our Ashanti Gold, many sweet words were bandied around. In the Ashanti Gold deal for example, although Randgold Resources offered the highest asking price, their offer was rejected and Anglogold was chosen. Of course, some unpatriotic Ghanaians even claimed the corporate name Ashanti Gold was going to be maintained and that was enough reason, to them, to sell our gold! Of course, the name changed as soon as the company was sold. It’s also true that the fortunes of the once profitable Ashanti Gold have been plummeting since the entry of Anglogold. Currently, the Iduaprim Mine risks being closed down albeit, for strategic reasons!

When Ghana Airways (a company that was packed with cronies for years) was going to be privatised, the same fairy tales were told to the Ghanaian, that the best airline in the world was going to emerge in Ghana as soon as Ghana Airways was privatised. Yes! The company was liquidated and today, its successor does not even have a licence to operate as an airline. It operates charter flights. It does not have an aircraft of its own. And of course, four years on, the workers have yet to receive their severance pay.

The Social Security Bank (SSB) was also privatised under similar circumstances. And as usual, the sages who said the company would not do well after privatisation were spot on. Today, the workers of the French-owned firm are struggling for cover. But the time to be a dignified worker at SG-SSB is over. It is now owned by imperialist interests who must repatriate profit at all cost – of course, that is the reason for investing one’s dollar!

Well, it looks like as a people, we have refused to learn from our past mistakes. Yesterday, I heard the Chief Executive of Ghana’s Cocobod, Mr. Isaac Osei announce that a Chinese firm was going to set up a jute factory in Kumasi to produce sacks for cocoa farmers. The question is where is our Kumasi jute factory that was divested? Where is our Aboso Glass factory? Where is our Birim Match Factory? Where is the Kumasi Shoe Factory? The strange thing is that none of the above companies were divested to Ghanaian private entrepreneurs! Finally, those employees of GT who think they are incapable of working with the company as long as it is owned by the people of Ghana should resign now. They should stop infesting the minds of the young generation of Ghanaians with their low self esteem. Who told them only foreigners are capable of raising capital? How long are we as a people going to go on with this indoctrination and subservience culture?

Was our political independence truly necessary if we cannot obtain economic independence? Have we thrown that self-determination which inspired the whole African continent during the fifties to the dogs? God ‘save’ our Motherland Ghana!

By Kwabena Mprah Jnr.

Email: kmprah@gmail.com